VHA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), North Hills, California.
VHA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation and Policy (CSHIIP), North Hills, California; Department of Medicine, UCLA Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California.
Womens Health Issues. 2018 Mar-Apr;28(2):181-187. doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2017.12.005. Epub 2018 Jan 12.
Women veterans are a growing segment of Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) users with distinct mental health needs and well-documented barriers to care. Telemental health holds much promise for reducing barriers to mental health care. We assessed VA stakeholders' perceptions of telemental health's appropriateness and potential to address the mental health needs of women veteran VA users.
We conducted semistructured qualitative interviews with 40 key leadership and clinical stakeholders at VA medical centers and associated outpatient clinics. Transcripts were summarized in a template of key domains developed based on the interview guide, and coded for topics relevant to women's mental health needs and telehealth services.
Telemental health was perceived to increase access to mental health care, including same-gender care and access to providers with specialized training, especially for rural women and those with other limiting circumstances. Respondents saw women veterans as being particularly poised to benefit from telemental health, owing to responsibilities associated with childcare, spousal care, and elder caregiving. Interviewees expressed enthusiasm for telemental health's potential and were eager to expand services, including women-only mental health groups. Implementation challenges were also noted.
Overall, our stakeholders saw telemental health as a good fit for helping to address the perceived needs of women veterans, especially in addressing the geographical barriers experienced by rural women and those with a limited ability to travel. These findings can help to inform gender-tailored expansion of telemental health within and outside of the VA.
女性退伍军人是退伍军人事务部（VA）用户中不断增长的一部分，她们有独特的心理健康需求和有据可查的护理障碍。远程心理健康在减少心理健康护理障碍方面有很大的潜力。我们评估了 VA 利益相关者对远程心理健康的适当性和解决女性退伍军人 VA 用户心理健康需求的潜力的看法。
我们对 VA 医疗中心和相关门诊诊所的 40 名关键领导和临床利益相关者进行了半结构化定性访谈。根据访谈指南，将记录在模板中进行总结，并对与妇女心理健康需求和远程医疗服务相关的主题进行编码。
远程心理健康被认为可以增加获得心理健康护理的机会，包括同性护理和获得具有专门培训的提供者的机会，特别是对于农村妇女和其他有限制情况的妇女。受访者认为女性退伍军人特别适合从远程心理健康中受益，因为她们承担着与育儿、配偶护理和老年护理相关的责任。受访者对远程心理健康的潜力表示热情，并渴望扩大服务，包括仅限女性的心理健康小组。也注意到了实施方面的挑战。
总的来说，我们的利益相关者认为远程心理健康非常适合帮助满足女性退伍军人的需求，尤其是在解决农村妇女和那些行动不便的妇女所面临的地理障碍方面。这些发现可以帮助在 VA 内部和外部为远程心理健康提供有针对性的性别扩展提供信息。
